Hurdle cleared for health care bill passage

The president recently spoke on possible passage of the measure before the holidays.

Washington (WiredPRNews.com) – A pre-Christmas passage of historical health care legislation may be in the works as a threatened Republican filibuster is blocked early Monday with 60-40 vote in favor of the measure. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), President Barack Obama stated on Monday that the bill would make a “tremendous difference for families, for seniors, for businesses and for the country as a whole.”

As noted by the AP, Republicans have accused some lawmakers of getting special deals for supporting the bill. Majority Leader Harry Reid is quoted in the report as stating in response to the criticism, “I don’t know if there’s a senator that doesn’t have something in this bill that was important to them, and if they don’t have something in it important to them, then it doesn’t speak well of them.”

The Senate is expected to hold another vote on the measure on Tuesday.